Can anyone slow down Paxton DeLaurent? SEMO takeaways after 26-13 win at Charleston Southern

CHARLESTON, S.C. – In its fourth straight conference game, No. 8 SEMO took care of business with a 26-13 road win against Charleston Southern on Saturday afternoon.

Quarterback Paxton DeLaurent threw for 335 yards and a touchdown behind a 58.2 completion rate against a Buccaneers team that entered the game with the top pass defense in the conference.

SEMO improved to 7-1 – 4-0 in Big South/OVC play – with the triumph.

“7-1 feels really good,” head coach Tom Matukewicz said. “Could have coached better, could have played better, but we're worried about all those things on Sunday. Loved how our team battled and fought our way to win a road game.”

Here are three immediate takeaways:

DeLaurent dazzles once again

SEMO needed a play with 1:30 left before halftime.

The Redhawks led 9-7 and were on the Charleston Southern 27-yard line facing a third-and-10. Instead of running the ball and settling for a fourth field goal, offensive coordinator Jeromy McDowell trusted his senior signal caller and dialed up a play through the air.

Wide receiver Jacques Wyatt won his press coverage to give himself a chance on the jump ball. DeLaurent seamlessly floated the ball into the air before Wyatt high-pointed it and hauled in the catch at the 2-yard-line. The 25-yard reception led to a SEMO touchdown to give them a 16-7 advantage heading into the locker room.

Matukewicz called it a big momentum shift before the half.

“That was huge,” he said. “Dorian Anderson was out because of an injury, so Jacques Wyatt came in and made a big, explosive play, and it just ignited our sideline to get him one of those early plays you'd like to get in sooner. It took us over six plays, but that was a great score right before half.”

When SEMO needed a spark, it turned to its veteran quarterback, who turned in a workmanlike performance: 32-for-55, 335 yards and one touchdown, spreading the ball around to nine different receivers.

But despite the lively passing game, Matukewicz was not satisfied with other areas of the offense.

“I think we just found a way, but I don't think we played very good,” Matukewicz said. “I mean, there's five late hits on the quarterback and we couldn't run it, so I don’t think we played that great on the o-line.”

Redhawks D flipped a switch

It was not the smoothest start for the SEMO defense on Saturday as Charleston Southern’s first three drives moved well.

Everything changed, however, once the Redhawks coaching staff made the proper adjustments and the personnel began catching onto the Buccaneers’ option attack in the run game.

After allowing 83 rushing yards (5.9 yards per carry) in the first quarter, everything went uphill for the SEMO defensive front from that point on. Charleston Southern gained just 25 rushing yards on 19 carries in the final three quarters, and, aside from a 44-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter, were unable to muster much of an offensive attack.

“They had a nice scheme early on,” Matukewicz said. “They had some nice plays in that first quarter and hats off to our defensive coaches because they were able to get them over on the sideline and get all that adjusted. So, I love those coaching adjustments, the players making the adjustments, and being able to defend the rush from then on.”

What the win means for SEMO

It wasn’t the cleanest of performances from the Redhawks, but the defense still looks legitimate, and the starting offense scored on six of its 11 possessions.

SEMO held the Buccaneers to 3-of-11 on third down, only yielded 255 total yards, and have allowed an average of just 10.7 points per game in the previous four outings.

Despite the handful of injuries, the Redhawks continued to stamp themselves as the front runner in the OVC, with more big conference games looming over the next few weeks.

“I just think we’ve got to keep finding a way,” Matukewicz said. “It's going to be tough. At the end of the day with these injuries, we're pretty easy to beat. We're not the team that we were five or six weeks ago. I mean, we're a shell of that. We have to understand that it's going to take our best effort to beat this homecoming opponent.”

What’s next?

SEMO’s next test marks its fourth straight Big South/OVC game, as the Redhawks return to Houck Stadium and welcome Gardner-Webb to Cape Girardeau for the Homecoming game on Saturday, Oct. 26. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.